Armenian-Style Potato Salad

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Chef John's Armenian-style potato salad provides a no-mayo, egg-free version of the classic traditional side dish that's full of flavor thanks to mint and bell pepper.

Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1 tablespoon dried mint, divided
1/2 cup mild olive oil, divided
1 large red onion, diced
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup lemon juice, or more to taste
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

1 Gather all ingredients.
2 Transfer sliced potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by a couple of inches. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt and 2 ½ teaspoons dried mint. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until tender, about 15 minutes, checking every 5 to 6 minutes for doneness. Drain well.
3 Transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
4 While potatoes cool, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir for just 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining dried mint.
5 Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice into potatoes and toss gently with a spatula. Add green onions, red onion mixture, remaining olive oil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, salt to taste, black pepper, chili flakes, and cayenne. Mix with a spatula until combined.
6 Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavors have melded, 3 to 4 hours.
7 Unwrap; stir, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed to personal tastes. The salad almost always needs more salt stirred in once it's tasted after being chilled. Serve.